Q. My wife and I have 20 hanging baskets on our deck. This year we used trailing petunias. They started out very nice but as the summer went along, they got really spindly and didn’t produce any blooms to speak of. We intend to use petunias again next year. Can you suggest what I can…
Category: Northwest U.S. Gardeners
Gardening questions from WA, OR, ID, MT & WY
Covering Lawn With Mulch
Q. I would like to cover lawn with mulch. I have heard to lay newspaper down and then place the mulch on top. How much newspaper and how much mulch works? I am thinking about using wood chips for mulch. Mark Bruser – Tacoma, WA A. Yes if your goal is to replace the lawn…
Tiny Bugs on Basil
Q. I have basil growing in a window pot that I grew from seed. It has been healthy all summer until the last several weeks. It has tiny bugs (I guess) all over it, tan in color. They look like tiny grains of tan rice. I put the pot with the basil in the bathtub…
Squirrels Eating My Filberts
Q. About 4 years ago I planted 13 filbert trees in my yard. This year there looked to be a fair amount of nuts when I left for vacation in mid August. By the time I returned, squirrels had gotten every single nut. Is there some way of getting some nuts for myself? Something that…
Overwintering Pepper Plants
Q. Hi Peter, I had some great peppers this year (no brag, just fact)- jalapenos, serranos, poblanos, czech black, and Blushing Beauties. I really hated to till them under this fall. I understand peppers are perennials back in their own parts of the world. Is it possible to pot pepper plants at the end of…